§ 7801.
Definitions
Except as otherwise provided, in this chapter:
(1)
Average daily attendance
(A)
In general
Except as provided otherwise by State law or this paragraph, the term “average daily attendance” means—
(i)
the aggregate number of days of attendance of all students during a school year; divided by
(ii)
the number of days school is in session during that year.
(C)
Special rule
If the local educational agency in which a child resides makes a tuition or other payment for the free public education of the child in a school located in another school district, the Secretary shall, for the purpose of this chapter—
(i)
consider the child to be in attendance at a school of the agency making the payment; and
(ii)
not consider the child to be in attendance at a school of the agency receiving the payment.
(D)
Children with disabilities
(2)
Average per-pupil expenditure
The term “average per-pupil expenditure” means, in the case of a State or of the United States—
(A)
without regard to the source of funds—
(i)
the aggregate current expenditures, during the third fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made (or, if satisfactory data for that year are not available, during the most recent preceding fiscal year for which satisfactory data are available) of all local educational agencies in the State or, in the case of the United States, for all States (which, for the purpose of this paragraph, means the 50 States and the District of Columbia); plus
(ii)
any direct current expenditures by the State for the operation of those agencies; divided by
(B)
the aggregate number of children in average daily attendance to whom those agencies provided free public education during that preceding year.
(4)
Child with a disability
(5)
Community-based organization
The term “community-based organization” means a public or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated effectiveness that—
(A)
is representative of a community or significant segments of a community; and
(B)
provides educational or related services to individuals in the community.
(6)
Consolidated local application
(7)
Consolidated local plan
(8)
Consolidated State application
(9)
Consolidated State plan
(11)
Covered program
The term “covered program” means each of the programs authorized by—
(A)
part A of subchapter I;
(B)
part C of subchapter I;
(C)
part D of subchapter I;
(D)
part A of subchapter II;
(E)
part A of subchapter III;
(F)
part A of subchapter IV;
(G)
part B of subchapter IV; and
(H)
subpart 2 of part B of subchapter V.
(12)
Current expenditures
The term “current expenditures” means expenditures for free public education—
(A)
including expenditures for administration, instruction, attendance and health services, pupil transportation services, operation and maintenance of plant, fixed charges, and net expenditures to cover deficits for food services and student body activities; but
(B)
not including expenditures for community services, capital outlay, and debt service, or any expenditures made from funds received under subchapter I.
(15)
Dual or concurrent enrollment program
The term “dual or concurrent enrollment program” means a program offered by a partnership between at least one institution of higher education and at least one local educational agency through which a secondary school student who has not graduated from high school with a regular high school diploma is able to enroll in one or more postsecondary courses and earn postsecondary credit that—
(A)
is transferable to the institutions of higher education in the partnership; and
(B)
applies toward completion of a degree or recognized educational credential as described in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (
20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).
(16)
Early childhood education program
(17)
Early college high school
(18)
Educational service agency
(20)
English learner
The term “English learner”, when used with respect to an individual, means an individual—
(A)
who is aged 3 through 21;
(B)
who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school;
(C)
(i)
who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English;
(ii)
(I)
who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of the outlying areas; and
(II)
who comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language proficiency; or
(iii)
who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; and
(D)
whose difficulties in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language may be sufficient to deny the individual—
(i)
the ability to meet the challenging State academic standards;
(ii)
the ability to successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English; or
(iii)
the opportunity to participate fully in society.
(21)
Evidence-based
(A)
In general
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the term “evidence-based”, when used with respect to a State, local educational agency, or school activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that—
(i)
demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on—
(I)
strong evidence from at least 1 well-designed and well-implemented experimental study;
(II)
moderate evidence from at least 1 well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or
(III)
promising evidence from at least 1 well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias; or
(ii)
(I)
demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes; and
(II)
includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention.
(B)
Definition for specific activities funded under this chapter
(22)
Expanded learning time
The term “expanded learning time” means using a longer school day, week, or year schedule to significantly increase the total number of school hours, in order to include additional time for—
(A)
activities and instruction for enrichment as part of a well-rounded education; and
(B)
instructional and support staff to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional development (including professional development on family and community engagement) within and across grades and subjects.
(23)
Extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate
(A)
In general
The term “extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate” means the fraction—
(i)
the denominator of which consists of the number of students who form the original cohort of entering first-time students in grade 9 enrolled in the high school no later than the date by which student membership data must be collected annually by State educational agencies for submission to the National Center for Education Statistics under
section 9543 of this title, adjusted by—
(I)
adding the students who joined that cohort, after the date of the determination of the original cohort; and
(II)
subtracting only those students who left that cohort, after the date of the determination of the original cohort, as described in subparagraph (B); and
(ii)
the numerator of which—
(I)
consists of the sum of—
(aa)
the number of students in the cohort, as adjusted under clause (i), who earned a regular high school diploma before, during, or at the conclusion of—
(AA)
one or more additional years beyond the fourth year of high school; or
(BB)
a summer session immediately following the additional year of high school; and
(bb)
all students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the cohort, as adjusted under clause (i), assessed using the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards under
section 6311(b)(2)(D) of this title and awarded a State-defined alternate diploma that is—
(AA)
standards-based;
(BB)
aligned with the State requirements for the regular high school diploma; and
(CC)
obtained within the time period for which the State ensures the availability of a free appropriate public education under
section 1412(a)(1) of this title; and
(II)
shall not include any student awarded a recognized equivalent of a diploma, such as a general equivalency diploma, certificate of completion, certificate of attendance, or similar lesser credential.
(D)
Special rules
(i)
Schools starting after grade 9
(ii)
Very small schools
A State educational agency may calculate the extended year adjusted cohort graduation rate described under this paragraph for a high school with an average enrollment over a 4-year period of less than 100 students for the purposes of
section 6311(c)(4) of this title by—
(I)
averaging the extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate of the school over a period of three years; or
(II)
establishing a minimum number of students that must be included in the cohort described in clause (i) of subparagraph (A) that will provide a valid graduation rate calculation as determined by the Secretary, below which the school shall be exempt from differentiation and identification under such section.
(24)
Family literacy services
The term “family literacy services” means services provided to participants on a voluntary basis that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in a family, and that integrate all of the following activities:
(A)
Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children.
(B)
Training for parents regarding how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children.
(C)
Parent literacy training that leads to economic self-sufficiency.
(D)
An age-appropriate education to prepare children for success in school and life experiences.
(25)
Four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate
(A)
In general
The term “four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate” means the fraction—
(i)
the denominator of which consists of the number of students who form the original cohort of entering first-time students in grade 9 enrolled in the high school no later than the date by which student membership data is collected annually by State educational agencies for submission to the National Center for Education Statistics pursuant to
section 9543 of this title, adjusted by—
(I)
adding the students who joined that cohort, after the date of the determination of the original cohort; and
(II)
subtracting only those students who left that cohort, after the date of the determination of the original cohort, as described in subparagraph (B); and
(ii)
the numerator of which—
(I)
consists of the sum of—
(aa)
the number of students in the cohort, as adjusted under clause (i), who earned a regular high school diploma before, during, or at the conclusion of—
(AA)
the fourth year of high school; or
(BB)
a summer session immediately following the fourth year of high school; and
(bb)
all students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the cohort, as adjusted under clause (i), assessed using the alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards under
section 6311(b)(2)(D) of this title and awarded a State-defined alternate diploma that is—
(AA)
standards-based;
(BB)
aligned with the State requirements for the regular high school diploma; and
(CC)
obtained within the time period for which the State ensures the availability of a free appropriate public education under
section 1412(a)(1) of this title; and
(II)
shall not include any student awarded a recognized equivalent of a diploma, such as a general equivalency diploma, certificate of completion, certificate of attendance, or similar lesser credential.
(C)
Transferred out
(i)
In general
For purposes of this paragraph, the term “transferred out” means that a student, as confirmed by the high school or local educational agency in accordance with clause (ii), has transferred to—
(I)
another school from which the student is expected to receive a regular high school diploma; or
(II)
another educational program from which the student is expected to receive a regular high school diploma or an alternate diploma that meets the requirements of subparagraph (A)(ii)(I)(bb).
(ii)
Confirmation requirements
(I)
Documentation required
(II)
Lack of confirmation
(iii)
Programs not providing credit
(D)
Special rules
(i)
Schools starting after grade 9
(ii)
Very small schools
A State educational agency may calculate the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate described under this paragraph for a high school with an average enrollment over a 4-year period of less than 100 students for the purposes of
section 6311(c)(4) of this title by—
(I)
averaging the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate of the school over a period of three years; or
(II)
establishing a minimum number of students that must be included in the cohort described in clause (i) of subparagraph (A) that will provide a valid graduation rate calculation as determined by the Secretary, below which the school shall be exempt from differentiation and identification under such section.
(26)
Free public education
The term “free public education” means education that is provided—
(A)
at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without tuition charge; and
(B)
as elementary school or secondary school education as determined under applicable State law, except that the term does not include any education provided beyond grade 12.
(28)
High school
The term “high school” means a secondary school that—
(A)
grants a diploma, as defined by the State; and
(B)
includes, at least, grade 12.
(29)
Institution of higher education
(30)
Local educational agency
(B)
Administrative control and direction
(C)
Bureau of Indian Education schools
(D)
Educational service agencies
(E)
State educational agency
(33)
Multi-tier system of supports
(34)
Native American and Native American language
(36)
Outlying area
The term “outlying area”—
(A)
means American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands; and
(B)
for the purpose of any discretionary grant program under this chapter, includes the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau, to the extent that any such grant program continues to be available to State and local governments in the United States.
(39)
Parental involvement
The term “parental involvement” means the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities, including ensuring—
(A)
that parents play an integral role in assisting their child’s learning;
(B)
that parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child’s education at school;
(C)
that parents are full partners in their child’s education and are included, as appropriate, in decisionmaking and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and
(40)
Pay for success initiative
The term “pay for success initiative” means a performance-based grant, contract, or cooperative agreement awarded by a public entity in which a commitment is made to pay for improved outcomes that result in social benefit and direct cost savings or cost avoidance to the public sector. Such an initiative shall include—
(A)
a feasibility study on the initiative describing how the proposed intervention is based on evidence of effectiveness;
(B)
a rigorous, third-party evaluation that uses experimental or quasi-experimental design or other research methodologies that allow for the strongest possible causal inferences to determine whether the initiative has met its proposed outcomes;
(C)
an annual, publicly available report on the progress of the initiative; and
(D)
a requirement that payments are made to the recipient of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement only when agreed upon outcomes are achieved, except that the entity may make payments to the third party conducting the evaluation described in subparagraph (B).
(42)
Professional development
The term “professional development” means activities that—
(A)
are an integral part of school and local educational agency strategies for providing educators (including teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, paraprofessionals, and, as applicable, early childhood educators) with the knowledge and skills necessary to enable students to succeed in a well-rounded education and to meet the challenging State academic standards; and
(B)
are sustained (not stand-alone, 1-day, or short term workshops), intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused, and may include activities that—
(i)
improve and increase teachers’—
(I)
knowledge of the academic subjects the teachers teach;
(II)
understanding of how students learn; and
(III)
ability to analyze student work and achievement from multiple sources, including how to adjust instructional strategies, assessments, and materials based on such analysis;
(ii)
are an integral part of broad schoolwide and districtwide educational improvement plans;
(iii)
allow personalized plans for each educator to address the educator’s specific needs identified in observation or other feedback;
(iv)
improve classroom management skills;
(v)
support the recruitment, hiring, and training of effective teachers, including teachers who became certified through State and local alternative routes to certification;
(vi)
advance teacher understanding of—
(I)
effective instructional strategies that are evidence-based; and
(II)
strategies for improving student academic achievement or substantially increasing the knowledge and teaching skills of teachers;
(vii)
are aligned with, and directly related to, academic goals of the school or local educational agency;
(viii)
are developed with extensive participation of teachers, principals, other school leaders, parents, representatives of Indian tribes (as applicable), and administrators of schools to be served under this chapter;
(ix)
are designed to give teachers of English learners, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and appropriate language and academic support services to those children, including the appropriate use of curricula and assessments;
(x)
to the extent appropriate, provide training for teachers, principals, and other school leaders in the use of technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), so that technology and technology applications are effectively used in the classroom to improve teaching and learning in the curricula and academic subjects in which the teachers teach;
(xi)
as a whole, are regularly evaluated for their impact on increased teacher effectiveness and improved student academic achievement, with the findings of the evaluations used to improve the quality of professional development;
(xii)
are designed to give teachers of children with disabilities or children with developmental delays, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and academic support services, to those children, including positive behavioral interventions and supports, multi-tier system of supports, and use of accommodations;
(xiii)
include instruction in the use of data and assessments to inform and instruct classroom practice;
(xiv)
include instruction in ways that teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and school administrators may work more effectively with parents and families;
(xv)
involve the forming of partnerships with institutions of higher education, including, as applicable, Tribal Colleges and Universities as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (
20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)), to establish school-based teacher, principal, and other school leader training programs that provide prospective teachers, novice teachers, principals, and other school leaders with an opportunity to work under the guidance of experienced teachers, principals, other school leaders, and faculty of such institutions;
(xvi)
create programs to enable paraprofessionals (assisting teachers employed by a local educational agency receiving assistance under part A of subchapter I) to obtain the education necessary for those paraprofessionals to become certified and licensed teachers;
(xvii)
provide follow-up training to teachers who have participated in activities described in this paragraph that are designed to ensure that the knowledge and skills learned by the teachers are implemented in the classroom; and
(xviii)
where practicable, provide jointly for school staff and other early childhood education program providers, to address the transition to elementary school, including issues related to school readiness.
(43)
Regular high school diploma
The term “regular high school diploma”—
(A)
means the standard high school diploma awarded to the preponderance of students in the State that is fully aligned with State standards, or a higher diploma, except that a regular high school diploma shall not be aligned to the alternate academic achievement standards described in
(B)
does not include a recognized equivalent of a diploma, such as a general equivalency diploma, certificate of completion, certificate of attendance, or similar lesser credential.
(44)
School leader
The term “school leader” means a principal, assistant principal, or other individual who is—
(A)
an employee or officer of an elementary school or secondary school, local educational agency, or other entity operating an elementary school or secondary school; and
(B)
responsible for the daily instructional leadership and managerial operations in the elementary school or secondary school building.
(47)
Specialized instructional support personnel; specialized instructional support services
(A)
Specialized instructional support personnel
The term “specialized instructional support personnel” means—
(i)
school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists; and
(ii)
other qualified professional personnel, such as school nurses, speech language pathologists, and school librarians, involved in providing assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other necessary services (including related services as that term is defined in
section 1401 of this title) as part of a comprehensive program to meet student needs.
(B)
Specialized instructional support services
(49)
State educational agency
(51)
Universal design for learning
(52)
Well-rounded education
([Pub. L. 89–10, title VIII, § 8101], formerly title IX, § 9101, as added [Pub. L. 107–110, title IX, § 901], Jan. 8, 2002, [115 Stat. 1956]; renumbered title VIII, § 8101, and amended [Pub. L. 114–95, title VIII], §§ 8001(a)(1), (b)(2), (3), 8002, Dec. 10, 2015, [129 Stat. 2088], 2089; [Pub. L. 118–42, div. G, title II, § 209(b)(4)(B)], Mar. 9, 2024, [138 Stat. 443].)